Manipulating device for sheet material



March 20,1928;

9 Sheeds-Sheet 1 JUL/P27" 7275' E517]:- J/Tazflana/a F. J. M DONALD' MANIPULATING DEVICE FOR SHEET MATERIAL Flled Feb 25 1925 March 20, 1928. 1,663,461

F. J. M DONALD MANIPULATING DEVICE FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb.25, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 20, 1928. 1,663,461 F. J. Ma DONALD MANIPULATiNG DEVICE FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb. 25 0 925 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,n 20 J F J J WI 7 a: 4 4 4243 $9 ,h; 21 I? Q 33 M ["4 Q; I",

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F. J.. M DONALD MAN IPULATING DEVICE FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb. 25, 1925 eet 5 She I WK iffy March 20, 1928.

FIJ. M DONALD MANIPULATING DEVICE FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb.25, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 22/5/7755 21f Win-2747275742 March 20, 1928. v 1,663,461

F. J. M DONALD MANIPULATING DEVICE FOR SHEET M ATERIAL Filed Feb. 25, 1925 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 March 20, 1928. 663,461

F. J. M DQNALD .MANIPULATING DEVICE FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb.25, 1925 Illlllllll Ill l atented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES;

1,663,46i PATENT OFFICE;

FRANK J. MACDONALD, OF EIJLET, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THEB'. F. GOODRICK. COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. V

MANIPULATING DEVICE FOR- SHEET MATERIAL.

Application filed February 25, 1925. Serialr No. 11,525;

'lhis invention relates to devices for mauipulating sheet material, as in. lasting rul berized-iabric shoe uppers or linin s, and. the

present application is in part a continuation of my application Serial No, 703,905, filed April 3, 1924;, a. continuation in part of my application Serial No. 661,191,. filedSeptcinher 6, 1-923, and is in part acontinuation oi my application Serial. No; 704,502, filed. April 5, 1924.

My chief object is to provide improved means for determinately positioning the margin of apiece of sheet material, especially 'lie.-..iblc material such. as rubber-shoe fabric, and 'lor firmly. anchoring the ma-rgi-n as so positioned. A further object is to provide n'ieans of this character adapted to operate upon rubberized fabric, before vulcanization, without bocon'iing clogged. with the tacky,

' as a last, and to swing the margin of. the

material. against the form. inembe to; apply it adhesii'ciy thereto after the form meinbei (J tact up to the margin that is held by the lHGtlllS.

the following, description.

herein. described, for example, a pair oi. nip: per jaws having a. PIOJGCtl-VQ and retract-we movement past an abutment member, the

aws biiiiig adapted to stand: open in their projected position to receive a mag-iii of the shoe upper between them, to be lightly closed and retracted to draw the edge of the upper against the abutment member, an thereby determinately position it,1the is: then sliding on the embraced uppers margin throughout the rest of their retraci'ive movement. I also provide means for more lirinly anchoring the marginioi theupper in the position to which it is thus drawn,

to hold for the reception of a; last, andthe lll ipflr aws, gripping; the upper, are-adaptml and the material. have been brought into Other and more detailed or; particular objects will become manifest in;

lVhile the manipulating devices described herein are especially adapted for use inlastmg machiiies,. my invention 1s. not wholly limited? to such machines.

the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1. is a perspective view ofa nipper unit embodying a preferred form of my inmembers therefor and the Work in its re1a-- tion thereto, at an early stage of operation. Fig.. 3 is a side elevation of the same: at. a. later stage of operation.

Fig; 4' is aside elevation of; the same; at a. still later stage.

Fig. 5is a perspectiveview of a'modified formo'f nipper unit adapted for work upon. heavier materials, I

Fig. Sis a side elevation of the same to.- gether with mounting; and cooperating; mem hers therefor and the Work in its relation thereto, at an early stage of operation.

Figs. 7 to 10 are' side elevations of the same at successive stages of operation Referring first to the embodiment shown. in. Figs. 1 to 4., the nipper unit comprises a generally L-shaped carrier or finger structure 10 including a pair (Fig. 1 of upstanding, parallel side plates 1-1 held apart by and secured: to, by rivets-0r welding, a spacing block 12: at. their upper ends, a spacing block 13 near their middle, and the base of an. actuating lever. 1% at their lower ends, said lever constitutingthe foot of the L, projecting horizontallgy away from the. Work.

The finger structure 10 is pivoted on1a horizontal axisloiin the forked upper end of a, post 16 rising from and: adj ustably held in an aperture of an annular, stationary frame 17 by a set-screw 18 (Figs. 2 we). The annular frame 17 isadapted to permit the vertical passage therethrough' of a last support 19,. a last 20 resting in upright position thereon and an insole 21. interposed between the last support and the last, suit able means (not shown) being provided for vertically moving the last support in. a vertical path to carry the last into association with a, conoidal upper or shoe1-ining 22' held or the lasts reception by a multiplicity ofthe nippenunits,'mounted1uponi the frame 17 similarly to the onenhere described, and. surroundingthe lasting position.

For tilting the finger structure away from the lasting position to hold the upper spread to receive the last, a downwardly extending chain 23 connects the lev r is with a post 2% adjustably secured, by a set screw 24"., in a vertically reciprocable, annular, actuating frame 2 1, and for, tilting the finger structure in the opposite direction and causing it to bear yiehlingly against the last the lever it is connected by an upwardlv extending pull oring 25 with one arm or the head of a L 26 tiltably set shaped post in a depression formed in the upper face of the frame 24, the lever ll of the adjacent finger structure n'cferably being similarly connected with the other arm of the said head, so that the post is stabilized.

Pivoted at 28 on the upstanding arm of the finger structure 10 are a pair of parallel, curved side plates 29" held spac d apart by and secured to the base of an arcuate cam lever arm 30 which projects outwardly therefrom, said side plates constitutinga substantially llshaped jaw-actuating lever 29 for a pair of nipper jaws 31, 2-32 pivoted between said plates at their upper ends, at 29", and slidably e tending between the up per end portions or the side plates 11 of the finger structure it). The upper jaw 31 is preferably formed with a pointed workengaging end, so as s: r y to cngagethe uppers margin in swa sole.

The lower jaw, is adapted to run upon a cam roller 39 mounted between the side plates 11 and its lower roHer-contacting face is curved downvnirdly near the front end of the jaw to provide a cam face, 34:, adapted,

by cam-action againstthe roller as the jaws points, such as the one shown at are retracted. past the side plates 11, to raise the front ends of the jaws and cause the latter to carry the marin of the upper 22, gripped by the jaws, nrmly against oblique 35, formed on the front edges of he side plates 11 respectively by the cuttlng therein of respective notches, such as the one shown at 36. lhe lower jaw 32, thus raised by the cam roller 33, is adapted to anchor the upper firmly upon the points 35, which in effect constitute a third nipper jaw, to hold'the upper while the last 20 is forced thereinto.

For holding the jaws 31, 32 lightly closed except when they are approximately at the limit oftheir forward projective movement past the ne r 10, a pair of side plates 3", ng a double-plate dog 37, are pivoted on the finger at 38 and a cam roller 39 is journaled between their free ends and is adapted to run upon the upper face of the upper jaw it pull spring 49 connects an intermediate part of the dog 87 with the lower part of the jaw-actuating lever 29, the springs point of attachment to the dog 37 being closer to the latters pivot 38 than ghg it onto the in-.

the springs point of attachment to the lever 29 is to the latters pivot 28, so that, because of its different moment arms on the two, the spring is adapted to urge the jaw-actuating lever 29 about its pivot 28, in the jaw-projecting direction, well as to cause the cam roller 39 to bear upon the upper face of the upper jaw 31.

For limiting the projective movement: of the jaws the lower jaw 32 is extended rearward, past its pivot 29, and in the rear end of said extension, 32 is mounted a crosspin 41, the projecting end portions of which are adapted to abut the side plates 29 of the lever 29.

F or quickly opening the jaws 3-, 32, by lifting the upper jaw 31, at the end of their projective movement, the said upper jaw is formed, adjacent its pivot 29, with an up wardly projecting lug 4-2 having a curved abutment face 43 in extension of the rollercontacting upper face of the jaw, said abutment face being adapted to be engaged by the roller 39 and thereby, by reason of its angular relation to the pivot 29", to cause the upper jaw 31 to swing to a determinate open position, in which it is held, against movement in either direction, by the roller fitting in the bay at the junction of the abutment face 4-3 with the straight portion of the jaws upper face.

For effecting the retractive movement of the jaws 31, 32 past the finger l0 and concurrently closing the jaws, av vertically reciprocable annular frame l i surrounding the set of nipper units has adjustably secured therein adjacent each nipper unit, by a set screw 45, a downwardly projecting bar 'll slotted at its end to straddle the arcuate lever arm 30 of the nipper unit and provided with a roller l? journaled within its slot and adapted to bear upon said. arm to turn the latter, together with the lever 29 to which said arm is secured, about the pivot 28, in the jaw-retracting direction, when the said frame td is lowered. The lever 29 and its arcuate arm 30 are so formed that at the limit of such jawretracting movement the roller-engaging upper face of the arm 30 is concentric with the pivot 15 of the finger 10, so that the latter may be tilted toward the last, by the pull of the spring 25 as the frame 24: is lifted, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, without substantial modification of the jaw-retracting force of the roller 4:7 upon said arm.

For assisting the spring 40 in its jllXV-PHM jecting action, a supplemental pull spring 48 may be interposed between the j awretracting frame 44 and the outer end of the lever arm 30, as shown in Figs. 2 to L.

The upper end portions of the side plates 11 of the finger 10 are preferably turned backward to provide an oblique reach 19 to serve as a guide for directing the margin of the upper approximately to a determinate loo position on the lower jaw as the upper is ,received, and to provide a rounded elbow to bear against the work.

The last support 19 is preferably formed with a bevel 19 about its work-contactingupper face, to serve as a guiding surface disposed. at a suitable angle to permit the lower. jaw 32 to slide thereon under the force of the springs 40, 48 in the projective, marginapplying movement of the aws.

In the operation of this embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4, the shoe upper 22 ismountedv with its sole margin between the jaws 31, 32,

while the latter stand open in their projected: position, shown in Fig. 1, the finger-tilting frame 24 being in its lowermost position to hold the several fingers 10 in determinate positions such as to correspond substantially to the circumferential size of the-upper, and

the jaw-retracting frame let being in its uppermost position to permit the springs 40 and 4-8 to hold the jaws in theirprojected positions, with the upper jaw 31 held raised by the roller 39.

The frame 44 is then lowered, which retracts the jaws past the finger 10, and at the beginning of this movement the upper jaw 31 is swung downward by the roller 39, the jaws thus being lightly closed upon the upper,;drawing its margin into the recess 36 until the uppe'rs edge abuts the wall of said recess, and thereafter sliding on the upper until the cam face 34 of the lower jaw co acts with the roller 33 to force the jaws upward andthereby anchor the upper on the points 35 as shown in Fig. 2. The jaws 3l, 32 are of such length as to embrace awide margin of the upper and thus in effect to stiffen or brace it against the force of the finger against which its edge is drawn, and: thus to prevent crumpling. of the said margin by such force.

The last support 19 with the insole 2L and last 20 thereon is then raised, while the upper is thus held at numerous points about its margin, to force the last into the upper.

The finger-tilting frame 24 is then raised,

The upper is preferably provided with rubber cement only along a narrow marginal zone, as shown at 50. The j aws,.being guided by the bevel 19 of the last support, are adapted to apply this zone at a determinate distance from the edge of the'ins0le, and any slack in the marginal-portion. of the upper is then. taken up by recoil of the elastic upper past the 'solemargin of? the last.

The downward manual pressure upon the last is then released, whereupon the further jaw-projecting; action of the springs 40, 48 cause the jaws to ride'up .over the last support and the upper jaw 31 to swing upward to theposition of Fig; 1', lifting.thelast, with of canvas tennis-shoezuppers, a special pair of heavy gripper aws are provided for se curing; the fabric after the latter has been positioned therein by the projective and. retractive nipper jaws.

Each gripperunit comprises an L=shaped lever or jaw carrier 51, which is provided at its elbow with a pair of pivot studs such as the one shown at 52, by which it is pivoted in a vertical closed slot 53 formed in the forked upper end of a post 54 adjustably secured in a stationary, annular frame 55 by a set screw- 56. t

The carrier 51 has anupright aw-carrying arm 57 andz-a horizontal actuating arm .58, an intermediate part of the latter being connected with an; annular actuating frame 59 by a. lost-motion: link 60 adapted to permit the carrier to pivot toward the lasting position, and also to permit it to; rise vertically to the extent permitted by the slot 53 in the post 54,. when said actuating" frame is in elevated position- The carrier is adapted to be so pivoted and? raised by the force of a compression spring 61 interposed operatively between the arm 58 and the frame 59, said springbeing mounted upon a spring rod 62 pivoted at 63 to the outer end of the carrier-arm 58,

extending with av loose fit into an aperture formed in the frame 59, and having such play therein as to permit its necessary angular movement with relation to said frame. The lower'end portion of the link 60 islikewise loosely mounted in an aperturein the frame 59and is provided with a nut 64 below the latter, so that the frame 59 will tilt the carrier away from lasting position, for the reception of. the next upper, when said frame is lowered;

The upright arm 57 ofeach jaw carrier 51 is. formedv as apair of parallel plates held in spaced relation by suitable spacing members,-and' each plate has formed thereon at its upper end a corrugated jaw such as 64, the two jaws being adapted to act. as one, and jaws such as the one shown at 65, mating. with the jaws, 64,. are. formed.

- arm on a lever 66 consisting of a pair of spaced apart plates straddling the vertical carrier arm 57 and pivoted thereto at 67. The lever 66 is formed with an outwardly projecting having an arcuate upper face 68 which is concentric with the pivot 52 of the jaw carrier when the jaw (35 is in closed position, so that said jaws may be held closed, by a roller 69 mounted upon an upper annular actuating frame 70 and running up on the arcuate upper face 68 of the lever 66, while the carrier is tilted toward the lasting position from its upper-receiving position. F or drawing the margin of a conoidal upper 71 into the jaws (a, 65, and abutting its edge against the latter at their angle, to position the upper for the reception of a last 72, a pair of upper positioning jaws 73, 74, adapt ed to grip the upper lightly and slide thereon, and of such length as to embrace awide margin of the upper and thus in effect to stiffen or brace it against the. resistingforce of the jaws (i i, 65 against which it is drawn, are mounted between the side plates of the vertical carrier arm 57 an d between the members of the double jaws 64; and of the double jaws 65, and are hinged together at 75, the upper jaw 73 being forked at its hub to straddle the lower jaw 74, and the latter having arearward extension 76 pivoted at 77 to a crooked lever 78, said lever being pivoted at 79 to the vertical aw-carrier arm 57. The crooked lever 78 is thus adapted to project and retract the jaws i3, 74, pas the corrugated jaws G-i, 65, the lower jaw 'Tt running upon a roller 80 journaled between the plates of the arm 57, on the pivot pin 67 of the gripper jaws.

For urging the jaws 73, 7% toward their projected position, a pull spring 81 connects an intermediate partof the lever 7 8 with the vertical carrier arm 57, and for retracting them against the force of said spring the lever 78 is formed with an arcuate upper face 82 adapted to be engaged by a roller 88 mounted upon an intermediate annular actuating frame 8%, said arcuate face 82 being concentric with the pivot 52 of the jaw carrier 51, when the sliding aws 73, i l are in retracted position, so that the roller 83, running upon the face 82 of the lever 78, may hold them so retracted while the jaw c rrier tilts from its upper-receiving position toward the lasting position.

For urging the jaw 73 toward closed position except at the end of its projective movement, for there opening it, and for urging the gripper jaw 65 toward open position, a double-plate dog 84 has its plates pivoted at 85 to a downward extension from the rear arm of the lever 66, said dog having a roller 86 journaled between its plates at its forward end, adapted to run upon the upper face of the jaw 73 for holding the latter closed, and to engage a projection 87 upon said jaw at which is connected with a pull spring 89 with a part of the lever 66 adjacent the lat ters hub. said spring urging it about its pivot 85, is adapted to bear yieldingly upon the aw 73 as the "aws 73 7e are vro'ected and retracted and also to exert upward force upon the lever 66 at its piv t 85 for urging the lever (36 and its corrugated gripper jaw 65 toward open position, the dog 8% also being so disposed that when the jaws 73, 74 reach the limit of their projective movement the roller 86 will engage the projection 87 of the jaw 78 for swinging the jaw 73 open to receive the shoe upper, its open position being shown in Fig. 5.

Secured to the respective plates of the lever 66, near their pivot 67, are upstanding, angled plates, spaced apart to accommodate the jaws 78, H and the gripper jaws 64, and constituting guide linger 90 for directing the margin of an upper into the jaws 73, 74 and guiding it so that it will clear the upper end of the upstanding jaw carrier arm 57, as will be clear upon reference to Fig. 5.

The jaws 75 Tet are adapted to be limited in their projective movement by contact of the hub portion of the jaw 73 with. the carrier arm 57, as shown in Fig. 5, and in their opening movement by the roller 86 fitting into the bay formed at the junction of the projection 87 with the main portion of the jaw 73, and the jaw 65 is adapted to be limited in its opening movement by contact of shoulders such as 91, formed on the side plates of the lever 66, with stop lugs such as 92, formed on the side plates of the carrier arm 57.

lhe roller (39 which runs upon the lever (36 for closing the jaw (35, is journaled at the end of a spring arm 93, which is adapted to yield to compensate for relatively great thickness of the upper where seams occur, and said arm is welded to a bracket 9% screw bolted to the outer face of the frame 70. A set screw threaded through the frame 70 bears upon the spring arm 93 and is adapted to be adjusted to vary the force with which the jaws 64, 65 grip the margin of the upper.

The roller 83, which runs upon the lever 78 for retracting the upper positioning jaws 73, 74, is journaled at the end of a rigid arm 96 pivoted at 97 to a bracket 98, screw bolted to the outer face of the frame 84;. A set screw 99 threaded through the frame 84; bears upon the arm 96 and is adapted to be adjusted to determine the position to which the upper-positioning jaws are retracted. A Q-spring so connects the bracket 98 with the arm 96 as to hold the latter against the set screw 99 when the roller 83 is lifted clear Thus the dog 84, by the force of of the lever 78. The roller 69 may also be lifted clear of its lever 66, as shown in Fig.

6, and this arrangement permits the use of 79 with apair of projections 101,101 adapted to straddle the lever arm 58 of the carrier 51 when the upper-positioning jaws 73, 74

are retracted and thegripper jaws 64, 65 are closed, as shown in Fig. 7, so as to brace the jaw actuating mechanism while the last is forced into an upper held by the jaws. -A

last carrier 102 is provided for raising the last and an insole 103 interposed between th two. 7 I

It will be understoodthat when the invention is applied to a lasting machine a plurality of the manipulating devices herein described and claimed are mounted upon the annular frame at spaced positions about the lasting position and, are adapted'to be concurrently actuated by the frames 59, 70 and 84. J

In the operations of themachine, the

frame 59 being in its lowermost position to hold thejcarriers at positions corresponding to the size of the upper 71, and the frames 70 and '84 beingin their uppermost ositions so as to permit the spring 81 to lioldthe jaws 73, 74 in their projected position and the spring 89 to hold both pairs of jaws open, the upper 71, provided with a coating of cement 104 along the edge of its sole margin, is mounted upon the set of'gripper units, the lower or sole margin of the upper being receivedbetween the guiding finger'QO and the lower upper-positioning jaw 74.

The frame 84 is then lowered, which causes the upper-positioning jaws 73, 74 to. close lightly upon the marginof the upper, under the force of the spring impelled dog 84, and to slide downward and outward thereon, the lower jaw 74 running upon the roller 80, this stage of operation being shown in Fig. 6. The margin of the upper is thus drawn into the angle of the gripperjaws 6.4, 65, its edge, abutting them at their angle, and the upper is thus accurately positioned for the engagement of the gripper jaws therewith, the jaws 73, 74 sliding on the upper after its edge has thus been positioned.

When the upper positioning jaws have thus been retracted to their outermost posi; tion, as shown in Fig. 7, the frame 70 is lowered, which causes the gripper jaws 64, 65, to close upon the margin of the upper as shown in Fig.v 7, and said gripper jaws engage the uppers margin to a determinate depth to its edge, because of the positioning of the upper as just described:

When the upper is thus firmly gripped by the jaws64, 65, the last carrier 102, with the insole 103 and last 72 thereon, is raised to force the last upward into the upper 71, asshown in Fig. 7. Y

The frame 59 is then raised, whichcauses the compression spring 61 to tilt the jaw carrier 51 inward against the last carrier 102, as shown in Fig. 8, the rollers 69, and 83 running upon the arcuate faces of the levers 67 j and 68,'to hold all of the jaws" closed and 'to hold the upper positioning jaws in their retracted position withrelation to the gripper jaws 64,65, while the jaw carrier 51 is thus tilted, the rollers 69 and 83 also preventing the jaw carrier 51 from rising in the slot 53 of the post54, as it is urged to it by the compression spring61. 1

Next the frames 70 and 84 are lifted, which permitsthe jaw carrier to rise in the slot 53, the jaw bearing against the last sup port 102 in sliding contact therewith, and all jaws being held closed by the rollers 69 and '83 until the jaws 64, 65 thus carry the margin of the upper into contact with the insole 103. As the frames and 84 continue to be raised, the frame 59 is lowered, and the lifting of the rollers 69 and 83, and the'releasingof the force of the spring 61, permits the jaws 64, 65 toopen and permits the spring81 to project the jaws 73, 74, while the latter are held closed by the roller and'the dog 84, but with a decreasing force as the pivot 7 5 of said jaws approaches the roller 86 of said dog. By such projective movement the jaws 73, 74apply to" the insole 103, the portion of the uppers margin theretofore engaged by the gripper jaws 64, 65. During the actuation of the jaws 64, 65, the work is. preferably helddown by hand upon the last support 102 with such pressure as to hold it thereon until all ofthe gripper units have come tobear upon the insole and with suflicient pressure firmly to anchor the margin of the upper.

The downward pressure upon the work is then released, whereupon the jaws '73, 74, further projected by the spring 81, lift the last from its support by a cam action of the lower jaw 74 against the last support 102. As soon as the front ends of said jaws rise upon the last support in sliding engagement therewith as shown in Fig. 9, they are projected over saidsupport. "As the jaws 73,774 are thus further projected they release their grip upon the uppers margin and the jaw 73 slides upon said margin toward its edge and. thus irons it out against the insole. Then as the work is further permitted to rise'the jaw 73 slides outward in contact with the lower face of the work and is thus returned to full open position by the roller 86 of the dog 84, engaging the projection 87 on the hub of said aw.

The continued lowering of the frame 59 then causes the link 60 to tilt the jaw carrier 51 outward and draw it downward in the slot 53, to return it to its upper receiving position. Meanwhile the last support 102 is lowered, while the work is lifted from the machine by hand, and the operation as just described is then repeated.

Further modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of my i1ivention and I do not wholly limit my claims to the specific embodiments here shown.

I claim:

1. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a positioning member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet to position the latter, means for drawing the sheetagainst said member to position it with its edge against the same, and means for deter minately so moving the positioned margin with relation to the rest of the sheet as to give the sheet a complex form.

V 2. A sheet-manipulating device as defined in claim 1 including means, additional to the positioning member and the drawing means, for effecting a secondary gripping and manipulation of the margin of the sheet after it has abutted the positioning memher.

.3. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a positioning member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet, a sheetdrawing member adapted to embrace a wide margin of the sheet such that the sheet is in effect appreciably stiffened and to bear yieldingly against the sheet, said sheet-draw ing member being mounted for determinate movement with relation to the said positioning member to draw the edge of the sheet against the same, and adapted to slide upon the sheet in further movement after the sheet has been stopped by contact of its edge against the said positioning member.

4:. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a positioning member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet, a pair of jaws mounted for projective and retractive movement with relation to said positioning member and adapted to be held openwhile projected, to receive the margin of the sheet between them, means for closing said jaws upon the margin of the sheet and retracting them to draw the edge of the sheet against said member, and means for projecting the said jaws while holding them closed upon the margin of the sheet to move the said margin determinately away from the said positioning member.

5. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a positioning member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet, a pair of jaws mounted for projective and retractive movement with relation to said positioning member and adapted to be held open while projected, to receive the margin of the sheet between them, means for closing said jaws upon the margin of the sheet and retracting them to draw the edge of the sheet against said member, the jaws being adapted to slide upon the sheet as their retractive move ment continues after the sheet has thus been positioned against said member, and means for projecting the said jaws while holding them closed upon the margin of the sheet to move the said margin determinately away from the said positioning member.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 in which the means for closing the jaws comprises re spective members bearing against and running upon the outer faces of said jaws and yielding means urging one of said members toward jaw-closing position.

7. A device as defined in claim 5 which includes yieldingly impelled cam means for opening and closing the jaws as an incident of their projective and retractive movement.

8. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a positioning member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet, a pair of jaws mounted for such relative movement as to be projected and retracted past the positioning face of said member, and means adapted relatively to run on said jaws to close the same as theyare retracted and to permit them to open as they are projected.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 in which the jaw-closing means is adapted to close the jaws lightly in the first part of their retractive movement and more firmly in the latter part of said movement.

10. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a positioning member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet to position the latter, a pair of jaws mounted for projective and retractive movement with relation to the positioning face of said member, and means for closing and retracting said jaws to draw a sheet against said position ing member, said positioning member and said jaws being so mounted as to be moved as a unit to manipulate the sheet while its margin is held by said jaws.

11. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet, a pair of jaws adapted to be held open while projected past said member, to receive the margin of the sheet between them, meansfor closing said jaws upon the margin of the sheet and retracting them to draw the edge of the sheet against said member, the jaws being adapted to slide upon the sheet as their retractive movement continues after the sheet has thus been positioned against said member, and means for more securely anchoring the margin of the sheet when it has been so positioned.

12. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a member adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet for positioning the latter, a pair of jaws mounted for projective and retractive movement of translation to receive the sheet and to draw the edge of the same against said member, a jaw-actuating member adapted yieldingly to bear on one of said jaws and to run thereon to urge it toward closed position during the sheet-drawing retractive movement, the said jaw being provided adjacent its hub with acam face adapted to be engaged by said jaw-actuating member to open said jawvnear the end of its projective movement. I

13. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a carrier, positioning means on said carrier adapted to be abutted by the edge of the sheet to position the latter, means for drawing the edge of the sheet against said positioning means, means for anchoring the margin of the sheet so positioned, means for actuating said carrier while the said margin is so anchored, and means for projecting the said drawing means in fixed engagement with the margin of the sheet to move the said margin away from the said positioning means.

'14. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a pivoted jaw-carrier, a lever pivoted on said carrier, a pair of jaws on said lever adapted to be projected and retracted with relation to said carrier by movement'of said lever, means for opening and closing said jaws as an incident of their projective and retractive movement, said lever being formed with an arcuate face which is concentric with the pivot of said carrier when the jaws are in a determinate part of their range of projective and retr'active movement, and means adapted to run on the arcuate face of said lever to hold said jaws in determinate relation while permitting said carrier to be turned on its pivot.

15. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a pair of aws, means for drawing a piece of sheet material thereinto, means for closing the aws to grip the margin of the sheet, and means for effecting such relative movement between the gripped margin'and the rest of the sheet as to give the sheet a complex form.

16. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a jaw-carrier, a pair of gripper jaws mounted on said carrier, a pair of sheet-posi tioning jaws mounted on said carrier and adapted to draw the margin of the sheet into said gripper jaws, levers mounted on said .carrier for actuating the respective pairs of jaws and formed withcam faces, and separately mounted means adapted to bear upon said cam faces for actuating said jaws and to run thereon to hold them in determinate relation while permitting said carrier to be actuated.

17. A sheet-manipulating devicecomprising a jaw-carrier, a. gripper jaw fixed thereon, a mate for said gripper jaw movably mounted on said carrier, and a pair of sheetpositioning aws mounted on said carrier for projective and retractive movement with relationto said gripper jaws for drawing the margin of a sheet thereinto.

18. A sheet-manipulating device comprising a jaw-carrier, means thereon adapted to be abutted by the sheet for positioning the latter, a pair of jaws mounted on said carrier for projective and retractive movement to receive the sheet and draw it against said positioning means, means for holding the jaws closed throughout a part of their range V of projective and retractive movement and for holding them open' atthe limit of their projective movement, and means on said carrier for guiding a sheet into said jaws as they are thus held open.

' 19. A sheet-manipulating device comprising an abutment member for positioning the edge of the sheet,a pair of sheet-positioning jaws, means for projecting and retracting said jaws past the abutment 'face of said member and for holding them open at the forward part oftheir projective range of movement, additional means for guiding a sheet into said jaws as they are thus held open, and a single carrier constituting a mounting for all of the defined parts.

20. A sheet-manipulating device comprising an abutment member for positioning the edge of the sheet, a pair of sheet-positioning jaws, means for projecting and retracting said jaws past the abutment face of said member and for holding them open at the forward part of their projective range of movement, and additional means adapted by sliding engagement with the sheet to guide the latter into said jaws as they are thus held open.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of February, 1925,

FRANK J. MACDONALD. 

